Thread cleaner



w. 1'. MuNsoN 2,165,405

THREAD CLEANER Filed Deo. 24, 1936 Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THREAD` CLEANER Application December 24, 1936, Serial No. 117,670

2 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in thread cleaners. I

The o bject of this improvement is to attain maximum eiiiciency in the cleaning of the thread yas it is pulled through the device.

The present invention is the result of extensive experiments with all thicknesses of cleaner blades ranging from one-sixteenth (975') inch thick upward, until the maximum of efficiency was attained.

The invention consists inY a combination of relatively wide and narrow blades arranged in pairs, the blades of each pair suitably separated from each other for the passage of the thread,

r the two sets of blades being disposed at an angle to each other, as for example at right-angles, with more or less definite predetermined space or interval between the two sets of blades.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective;

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

'Ihe numeral I represents a frame, preferably offset along the line 2, to form a supporting plate 3. At the rear, an arm 4 depends and may be an integral part of the frame, and to the lower end of this arm the usual porcelain thread-guide 5 is adjustably secured by means of nuts 6 on the threaded. bolt 1. An upturned slotted lug 8 forms a means of attachment to the table or support.

The present invention resides mainly in two sets of cleaner blades, which willnow be described.

'Ihe numerals 9 and I0 indicate what will be hereinafter designated the wide blades. These are held at one end in a head II by means of the set-screw I2, suitably spaced apart and parallel with each other to receive the thread drawn therebetween. The head is pivoted to the frame by means of a screw I3, and the head is provided with a stop I4 in position to engage a stop I5 projecting from the supporting plate 3. The stop I4 engages the stop I5 to limit and dei-lne the extreme upward and lower swing or movement of the pivotally mounted head. Y

A finger I6 extends outwardly more or less parallel with the wideblades 9 and III and acts as a guide in cooperation with the porcelain to direct the thread between the blades.

A head I1 is pivoted by means of a screw I8 to the frame I. Narrow blades I9 are held in the head I1 by means of the set-screw 20 located in the end lof the head as viewedin Figs. l and 2.

A pair of guides 2I extend outwardly from the head I'I' to cooperate in guiding the thread between the blades I9. The inner ends of the nar- 5 row blades I9 extend to, and rest against, the lugs 22, which latter project from the head I1 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. These lugs 22 are in position with respect to the arms 4 to form stops thereagainst to limit the swinging move- 10 ment of the head II on its pivot I8.

Thus from the, foregoing it will be seen that there is an arrangement of two sets of blades with the cleaning spacev or slot between the blades in each pair, or intervening between the blades of each pair, at right-angles to each other, and with a space 25 of more or less dened and definite width between the pairs of wide and narrow blades.

'I'his space is important and has a function. 20 This relatively narrow space 25 between the two sets of blades prevents the thread passing from the wide sets of blades to the narrow set of blades from screwing or twisting out of the flattened condition resulting from passing between the 25 wide blades before entering the space between the two narrow blades.

In arriving at this improvement, extensive experiments were made with varying thicknesses of cleaner blades ranging from one-sixteenth 30 (gJ) of an inch thick, upwards, until it was found that the highest eiciency was attained by rst passing the thread betweenvblades' approximately one-half (1/2) inch wide. Greater widths showed little or no improvement. In .35 other words, the one-half (1/2") inch wide seemed to alford the maximum eciency. These were the ndings on single cleaning or cleaning between one pair of blades only.

With further experiments it was found by running the thread through different arrangements of two sets of blades, by double cleaning as it is termed, with the cleaning blades or spaces at right-angles to each other, still better results 45 were obtained. Thus by rst passing the thread between one-half (1/2) inch wide blades, and then between another pair of blades, the thickness of which was, apparently, not important, but for economy purposes, one-sixteenth inch 50 thickness, apparently was adequate and about right.

The experiments showed that an important factor was the space or spaces 25 between the two sets of cleaning blades with perhaps the best 55 results at approximately one-thirty-second (515') of an inch wide or less.

Further explaining this operation, a defect or enlarged portion in the thread passing between the wide blades becomes ilattened to the size of the space between the blades. The thread is also held from screwing or turning by and between these wide blades, the width of the blades having this desired eiect.

The space between the sets of blades is sufficiently narrow to prevent the thread crossing this space from screwing or twisting out of attened position, a condition resulting from the passage between the wide blades and before entering the space between the second set of blades. The passing of the thread from one pair of blades in this ilattened condition of the thread with the blades set at right-angles to the thus ilattened defect in the thread, causes the thread to break at this point.

While the proportions recited have proven desirable, they might, of course, be varied and there is no intention of limiting myself to them, since even different relative proportions might be found advantageous, if not even better.

I claim:

1. The combination of a frame having an 01T- set portion to form a supporting plate, one edge of the plate having a stop formed thereon, a head pivoted to the offset portion and having a stop adjacent to the pivot in position to engage the stop on the plate, whereby to limit the pivotal movement of the head, blades removably supported in the head, an arm extending laterally from the lower end of the frame, a guide supported on the arm, a second head pivotally supported on the frame and provided with a. pair of guides which extend at an angle to the blades held in the rst-mentioned head, blades carried by the head having the guides, means for detachably securing said blades in the head, the head having the pair of guides having lugs at one end against which the blades are adapted to rest, said lugs in position with respect to the arm on the frame to form limiting stops thereagainst to limit the pivotal movements of the head.

2. The combination of a frame having a supporting plate at one end and provided with a laterally extending arm for the support of a guide at another point, two heads pivotally mounted, one on the supporting plate and the other on the frame, relatively wide blades removably supported in one head, relatively narrow blades removably supported in the other head, and extending at an angle to the wide blades, said pairs of blades held a very limited and predetermined distance apart to preserve a denite space through which the thread passes from one set of blades to the other before it has a chance to twist or screw, the supporting plate having a stop in position with respect to the head which carries the wide blades to limit the extreme pivotal movements of said head, and the arm supporting the guide in position to limit the extreme pivotal movement of the head carrying the relatively narrow blade.

WILLARD T. MUNSON. 

